While this is dailymail, it's just a review of a book that appears particularly interesting.
[url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2497613/Which-11-American-nations-live-The-map-shows-U-S-divided-separate-cultures-settlers-spread-West.html][img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/sitelogos/logo_mol.gif[/img][/url]
[quote]You might think you live in a nation of 50 unified states, but according to author and journalist Colin Woodard, the U.S. is a lot less united than we like to think.
According to Woodard, the country is divided not by state lines but is in fact separated into 11 neatly delineated nation states where dominant cultures are explained by who their early settlers were 'and the lasting cultural fissures they established.'
Woodard writes in Tufts University's alumni magazine that the original North American cultures developed in isolation from each other in distinct regions settled by Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain.
Settlers spread across the US, establishing cultural norms and ideals as they went. The strip of land along the eastern seacoast was settled primarily by English colonists in the 17th century while the Dutch colony centered on present-day New York City was a barrier to British expansion. The Spanish created settlements from the late 1500s in the Southwest and the French colonized areas of Canada as well as the Hudson bay and Louisiana.
Each had their own religious, political and cultural traits.
Woodard's 11 nations explain prevailing political and religious attitudes and reflect the 'distribution of linguistic dialects, the spread of cultural artifacts, the prevalence of different religious denominations, and the county-by-county breakdown of voting in virtually every hotly contested presidential race in our history.'
Woodard's book on the subject is [B]American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[/B][/quote]
[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/11/10/article-2497613-1951789A00000578-778_964x667.jpg[/img]
[quote][B]Yankeedom[/B]: Founded by Puritans, Yankeedom prizes education and participation in politics and government. Citizens of the Northeastern states and industrial Midwest are more comfortable with government regulation and value the common good over the individual.
[B]New Netherland[/B]: The Netherlands was the most sophisticated society in the Western world when the Dutch settled New Netherland, and the nation has emerged as a center for trade, publishing and finance. It's ethnically and religiously diverse, tolerant, materialistic and not highly concerned with moral questions.
[B]The Midlands[/B]: Quakers settled these regions and opened their arms to many different peoples in their 'utopian colonies.' While politically moderate, government intrusion is not appreciated here and 'ethnic and ideological purity have never been a priority.'
[B]Tidewater[/B]: The English colonies along coastal regions of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware were a reproduction of the feudal society the settlers had left behind. There's a respect for authority and tradition and little concern for equality. It was once powerful but is now in decline due to westward expansion.
[B]Greater Appalachia[/B]: Inhabited by refugees from Northern Ireland, northern England and the Scottish lowlands, Appalachia is characterized by 'warrior ethic and a commitment to personal sovereignty and individual liberty.' Lampooned as the reserve of hillbillies and rednecks, Greater Appalachia is home to people who are 'intensely suspicious of lowland aristocrats.'
[B]Deep South[/B]: Established by men trying to replicate West-Indies-style slave society, the Deep South had its caste system dismantled by outside forces but 'continues to fight against expanded federal powers, taxes on capital and the wealthy, and environmental, labor, and consumer regulations.'
[B]El Norte[/B]: Hispanic culture and language dominate these borderlands of the Spanish empire. Hard work, adaptability and self-sufficiency are key traits.
[B]The Left Coast[/B]: A combination of Appalachian self-expression and Yankee utopianism, the Left Coast was settled by people whose entrepreneurial spirit- continues to produce the country's biggest cultural and technological innovations, from Silicon Valley's start-ups to grunge.
[B]The Far West[/B]: This area is the one part of the country that is more shaped by environmental factors than cultural ones. The harsh and sometimes inhospitable lands were tamed by industrial resources: railroads, mining, dams and irrigation systems. As such, Far Westerners are often deeply suspicious of corporations and federal government and are resentful of the seaboard nations, who they feel exploit them and their resources.
[B]New France[/B]: Former French colonies of the New Orleans and Quebec regions, New France has emerged as a tolerant, egalitarian and multicultural nation after a history of imperial oppression. Culturally, there's a blend of French peasant and local indigenous traditions.
[B]First Nation[/B]: The huge territory of the First Nation is sparsely inhabited by native American groups that never gave up their land to white settlers. The people have retained the cultural practices and knowledge that allow them to live in such a harsh Arctic climate, but they number only about 300,000.[/quote]
i'm a yank, and after pretty extensively travelling the country I agree with a lot of the claims made here; obviously none are 100%, but they represent general cultural values. particularly of interest was New France - I've traveled through New Orleans and many of the regions surrounding it and it really is quite picturesque and egalitarian culturally, it was fascinating. The only thing on the face that I see that is confusing is the inclusion of Michigan / Wisconsin / Minnesota in the Yankee nation; while culturally I would agree that they're similar to the Northeast, the fact that they're considered purple states in the past few rounds of elections makes the claim that their societies are more comfortable with gov't regulation a bit iffy. The fact that Ohio has three separate nations running through it makes total sense though.
This really hits the nail on the head.
[QUOTE]Deep South: Established by men trying to replicate West-Indies-style slave society, the Deep South had its caste system dismantled by outside forces but 'continues to fight against expanded federal powers, taxes on capital and the wealthy, and environmental, labor, and consumer regulations.'[/QUOTE]
Especially here. You could probably give the Mormons their own land too.
Looks like your generic Grand Strategy game after like 10 years
[QUOTE=proch;42820068]Looks like your generic Grand Strategy game after like 10 years[/QUOTE]
Next Mount and Blade
Uh, New Cascadia?
The fuck are parts of Canada included for? Anyone who's traveled here knows that it feels like you're entering a different dimension, because of the big differences in culture. The same goes for Mexico - They don't really belong on that map.
new netherland s/o to my hood aint no body fuxkin wit it!!!
I live in NY I don't really feel like I fit into the Yankeedom category, but I will admit that visiting NYC it seems like they have a completely different culture than upstate. Feels like a different country.
florida is also of interest atm because there's been a mass exodus of old new york jews coming from the tri-state area (New Netherlands / Yankeedom) flocking down there. all of the old baby boomers are moving down there for retirement because of the nonexistent taxes - but ironically they keep voting blue, which in the long run will likely cause taxes to rise
This is kind of cool but I don't buy it at all. I've lived in 5 of these states and there it's definitely not like living in different countries.
[QUOTE=archangel125;42820102]The fuck are parts of Canada included for? Anyone who's traveled here knows that it feels like you're entering a different dimension, because of the big differences in culture. The same goes for Mexico - They don't really belong on that map.[/QUOTE]
Because "America" doesnt mean just the united states
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the Netherlands didn't trade New Amsterdam/York for Suriname.
Probably would have been taken by force since the lands around it were British.
[QUOTE=EnlightenDead;42820141]Because "America" doesnt mean just the united states[/QUOTE]
The article is about the United States. And 'America' colloquially means 'The United States' unless you add a 'North' or 'South' to it.
[QUOTE=archangel125;42820175]The article is about the United States. And 'America' colloquially means 'The United States' unless you add a 'North' or 'South' to it.[/QUOTE]
weird because the map including other countries and not just the US seems to disagree with you
[QUOTE=archangel125;42820175]The article is about the United States. And 'America' colloquially means 'The United States' unless you add a 'North' or 'South' to it.[/QUOTE]
America refers to North and South America combined. It's often used, however incorrectly, as another term for the United States.
[QUOTE=jaredop;42820129]This is kind of cool but I don't buy it at all. I've lived in 5 of these states and there it's definitely not like living in different countries.[/QUOTE]
that may just be because commonly the differences between countries, states, and nations aren't taught to the average citizen. a nation isn't a country, and it's a bit more ambiguous.
a state is simple - it's just a government that interacts with other governments. ie in the domestic US system, you would see the states as states. or, in the international system, the different governments around the world are states.
a country is the entire geographical territory that is controlled by one government entity. so in the case of the us, that's the continental us and hawaii / alaska. a country is generally easy to understand because it includes the civilian populace and the state. it's generally consistent, especially in federalist systems in which a local state government is forced to adhere to federal legislation, and there's a general integration of federal/national norms at the local level, at least in law. however, they're not mandated to be integrated into the culture in a lot of places - that is, the "nation".
a nation is super ambiguous. the easiest way to describe it is as a group of people who share the same ideological and culture, ehtnicity, history, etc. it's basically just a group that's stuck together and live in a given territory. a lot of scholars have made the argument that nations hardly exist any longer because of the fact that the world is becoming increasingly heterogenous, and that's why this guys work is really interesting. Scholars understand that culture plays a role, but for reasons of simplifying data collection they paint things as black and white (which even this guy is guilty of to a certain degree); to actually take the step and make the claim that these cultural differences are rooted from the fact that nations exist in the US is pretty radical
idk if these nations exist and i won't know exactly how i feel about it until I read the guy's full argument instead of just his results.
edit: im interested, which states have you lived in and did you see any sort of differences between them, even those that weren't laid out in this framework?
[quote]Tidewater: The English colonies along coastal regions of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware were a reproduction of the feudal society the settlers had left behind. There's a respect for authority and tradition and little concern for equality.[B] It was once powerful but is now in decline due to westward expansion.[/B][/quote]
when was this written 1886? Tidewater is home to to the largest Naval base in the world. Also no every town hates eachother, seriously live in tidewater and you can feel when you cross one city line into another
[QUOTE=archangel125;42820102]The fuck are parts of Canada included for? Anyone who's traveled here knows that it feels like you're entering a different dimension, because of the big differences in culture. The same goes for Mexico - They don't really belong on that map.[/QUOTE]
Because as much as we like to pretend we're not that radically different from the United States in terms of popular culture.
[editline]10th November 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=El Dilbert;42820254]when was this written 1886? Tidewater is home to to the largest Naval base in the world.[/QUOTE]
There's more to power than expensive boats that kill people
[QUOTE=DaysBefore;42820258]
There's more to power than expensive boats that kill people[/QUOTE]
I could also point out that Washington DC is in the "tidewater" area, guess that doesn't mean anything.
[QUOTE=archangel125;42820102]The fuck are parts of Canada included for? Anyone who's traveled here knows that it feels like you're entering a different dimension, because of the big differences in culture. The same goes for Mexico - They don't really belong on that map.[/QUOTE]
I personally have never been to Canada, but the Canadians I know are pretty much indistinguishable from Americans.
Far westerner here. It hits the nail, but wouldn't say on the head. I'm from vegas, and just moved to utah. It is true that people are suspicious of corporations and the federal government, but in vegas it's quite different, because of the nature of a tourist/gambling based town, a bit more diverse. In utah, well, it's mormonville, but as said, it is tamed by the environment.
Dunno where the 'resentful of left coast' comes from though.
[QUOTE=El Dilbert;42820286]I could also point out that Washington DC is in the "tidewater" area, guess that doesn't mean anything.[/QUOTE]
Not particularly, no
Also, the left coast represent, best region all years.
[QUOTE=El Dilbert;42820286]I could also point out that Washington DC is in the "tidewater" area, guess that doesn't mean anything.[/QUOTE]
dc in and of itself has pretty much no political power, all of the actors that are politically important in dc come from the rest of the country
[editline]10th November 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Adlertag1940;42820087]Uh, New Cascadia?[/QUOTE]
i've never seen this before, and just looked it up to get a brief understanding of it (if you know more, id love to hear about it); but from what i've seen it doesn't really make it mutually exclusive. new cascadia just appears to be a desire for power to separate from the federal systems of canada / the us but still falls (ideologically and demographically speaking) under the framework this guy suggested. looks like the left coast, combo of the far west / yankeedom. social safety nets and collective action, etc
Midlanders represent
[QUOTE=Teddybeer;42820250]But really except the few roads following canals and some street names, New Netherlands has been wiped off the map ages ago. While funny enough it lives on in other parts of American society.[/QUOTE]
In michigan we have a city called 'Holland' just south of me, western Michigan has a lot of dutch history. We even have a wooden shoe factory 'little dutch village' tourist trap.
[QUOTE]There are more than a dozen towns and cities in the USA named Holland, Hollandale, and Hollandtown. But Holland, Michigan has the distinction of being the Dutch capitol of America.
More Dutch immigrants in the 19th century headed for West Michigan than anywhere else. And they made their presence felt by clustering in urban neighborhoods and rural villages across the five-county region, bounded by Holland, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo.
By 1910, at the apex of the great century of immigration, one-third of Grand Rapids' population was of Dutch birth or ancestry, as was three-quarters in Holland and more than 90 percent in Zeeland.[B] In 1990, nearly 300,000 residents of Dutch ancestry lived in West Michigan, making it the largest Dutch settlement area in the United States.[/B][/QUOTE]
[URL]http://www.swierenga.com/CenturyClubLecc_lec.html[/URL]
That map isn't exactly accurate.
[QUOTE=jaredop;42820129]This is kind of cool but I don't buy it at all. I've lived in 5 of these states and there it's definitely not like living in different countries.[/QUOTE]
Being in Quebec isn't like being in a different country from Canada. Being in Dublin isn't like being in a different country from Ireland. Being in Brittany isn't like being in a different country from France. Yet these are all separate nations.
Despite the frequent equivocation between nation, state, and country, not helped by terms like 'nation-state', many countries have multiple nations (essentially, cultures) living within them. The alignment of nation and state borders is a very recent phenomenon in human history, only arising to public consciousness during the 19th century, and is still not always present.
Basically, the idea of a nation is a subculture sharing common history, knowledge, language, ethnicity, and other factors that define a 'people'. It's kind of hazy and every definition you read will contradict another on the specific details.
Considering just how varied the US is, given its size and divisive politics, I don't think it's a stretch at all to say that the US contains constituent nations. That said, there are definitely others that do not include geography. I would consider Mexican-Americans a nation, as well as Native Americans.
Iiiiiii would not agree at the moment that Quebec is 'egalitarian' or 'tolerant.' Seperatist sentiment in Quebec is [I]unbelievably[/I] intolerant of immigrants/Anglos. For Ontario, I'd say there are parts that definitely fit into Yankeedom and New France (New France parts being especially in the Northern Francophone communities). And there's no mention of Montreal as a cultural island inside Quebec either. And I would also dispute 'First Nations' boundaries in the Canadian West - they begin much further south in Sask/Man that shown. And where the fuck is Newfoundland? +1 nation at least - more if you distinguish between First Nations and Inuit.
Although it's an interesting thought experiment, and Anglo-Canadians do share much in common with Americans, this -on the surface- seems to simply not be educated enough about Canada to include it.
[QUOTE=Sixer;42820478]Iiiiiii would not agree at the moment that Quebec is 'egalitarian' or 'tolerant.' Seperatist sentiment in Quebec is [I]unbelievably[/I] intolerant of immigrants/Anglos.[/QUOTE]
They're incredibly left wing and welcoming of immigrants, as long as they're not none-Christians or English.
Kind of like France itself.
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;42820028]You could probably give the Mormons their own land too.[/QUOTE]
This is so true. I feel like Utah and lots of Idaho are very culturally and politically different than the rest of the country.
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